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African Kingdoms. Essential Understanding. States and empires flourished in Africa during the medieval period, including: West Africa: Ghana, Mali, Songhai East Africa: Axum South Africa: Zimbabwe. Nile River Valley. Axum. East African Kingdoms. Axum Location : Near the Nile River
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Essential Understanding States and empires flourished in Africa during the medieval period, including: • West Africa: Ghana, Mali, Songhai • East Africa: Axum • South Africa: Zimbabwe
Nile River Valley Axum East African Kingdoms Axum • Location: • Near the Nile River • Near the Ethiopian Highlands • Christian Kingdom • History: King Azana of Axum conquered Kush (Nubia); grew wealthy from controlling trade between Africa & the Red Sea (spices, carpets, dyes, gold, ivory…)
East African Kingdoms Zimbabwe • Location: • Near Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers • On the coast of the Indian Ocean. • City of “Great Zimbabwe” is capital of this rich empire. • Reached its peak of power in the 1400s; remnants destroyed by the Portuguese in the 1500s Zambezi River Limpopo River
West African Kingdoms Ghana, Mali, & Songhai • Location: • Next to or on the Niger River. • Near and part of the Sahara Desert Sahara Desert
West African Kingdoms Ghana, Mali, & Songhai • Mansa Musa • A king of Mali • Increased wealth by opening trade routes & exchanging gold for salt • Pilgrimage to Mecca • Society • Usually Islamic, also believed in animal worship (animism) • City of Timbuktu is a center of learning and trade. • Grew rich taxing the salt & gold trade.
West African Kingdoms Ghana, Mali, & Songhai • Songhai broke away from Mali and replaced it as the most powerful kingdom in West Africa • Askia Mohammad was the greatest ruler of Songhai • Divided land into provinces • Zealous Muslim • Legal system based on the Qur’an • Defeated by Moroccan troops in 1591
Timbuktu • Capital of Mali • Home of Mansa Musa • A Muslim/Islamic City • Muslims from all of West Africa came to the city to study at the universities.
Gold & Salt Trade • Ghana, Mali & Songhai have lots of gold. • They need salt to preserve food, add flavors, etc. • North Africans (above Sahara) have salt, want gold to use as money. • This means people cross the Sahara Desert to trade salt and gold.
